September 2007

The AIDS Committee of Durham Region, a volunteer driven, community-based, charitable organization that provides HIV/AIDS related services in the Durham region, will be hosting a conference and Fiesta Latina from November 27th to November 29th in Ajax. The conference, entitled “Engaging Communities,” aims to raise awareness about the social factors that play a role in shaping the HIV and AIDS epidemic.

Two partners of Horizons of Friendship, Yadira Bonilla from Humanitas in Costa Rica, and Transito Ruano from PASSOS TRaining Centre in El Salvador, will be presenting as part of an international panel on the second day of the conference. The panel will highlight the current context of HIV and AIDS in El Salvador, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Canada. Humanitas is currently engaged in a joint social-marketing campaign with the AIDS Committee of Durham and COMUSIDA of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, the results of which will be presented at next year’s International AIDS Conference in Mexico.

With so much attention focused on Africa, Latin America is often referred to as the “forgotten epidemic” when it comes to discussions around HIV and AIDS. The AIDS Committee of Durham and Horizons of Friendship are working hard to bring attention to the worsening situation confronting our neighbours in Latin America. The AIDS Committee of Durham has been engaged in work in Mexico for the past several years through its twinning project, and has expanded its work through the current partnership with COMUSIDA and Humanitas.

Horizons of Friendship, working with its partner organizations in the Mesoamerican region, is currently pursuing a regional project on HIV and AIDS with the aim to create conditions of knowledge production, service provision, and civic political advocacy, which will strengthen the capacities of civil society organizations to ensure that their national governments assume their responsibilities related to public health and citizen welfare.

The conference is being held at the Carruthers Creek Golf and Country Club, 650 Lake Ridge Road in Ajax. Early bird registrations end November 2nd.

The opening night gala dinner is a Fiesta Latina, being held on November 27th beginning at 6:30pm. Tickets are $60 and include dinner and live music by Amanda Martinez and Grupo Folklorico Totaniuh. Tickets can be purchased at the United Way Information Services in the Oshawa Centre and at the AIDS Committee of Durham Region, 401-22 King Street W, Oshawa.

For more information about these events, please go to the AIDS Committee of Durham Region’s website: www.aidsdurham.com.

For more information about Horizons’ HIV/AIDS regional initiative, please contact Rona Donefer, Foundations and Program Development Officer, at 905-372-5483 x. 13 or rdonefer@horizons.ca .

Horizons of Friendship is pleased to announce details of Writers & Friends, its annual fall gala fundraising evening which takes place this year on Sunday November 18th at LeVan Hall. Trinity College School, Port Hope.

Writers & Friends features readings by some of Canada’s most engaging authors, a question & answer session, book signings, a gourmet buffet, music, a grand silent auction and a select live art auction including donations from well known artists, Ron Bolt, Janet Read, San Murata, Christine Montgomery and from the ZimArt Studio, a Zimbabwean stone sculpture.

Special guest readers contributing to Writers & Friends this year include:

Elizabeth Hay, a 2007 Scotiabank Giller Prize nominee for her new novel,
Late Nights on AirWriter and broadcaster Noah Richler, author of the award winning “literary atlas
This Is My Country, What’s Yours? Writer publisher Anna Porter, author of the just released Kasztner’s Train: A True Story.moderated by TCS alumnus, Ian Brown
Writers & Friends Tickets are $ 110 (income tax receipt $ 65). Please call Horizons of Friendship to order at 905-372-5483 or toll free 1-888-729-9928 or at Furby House Books in Port Hope. Proceeds support Horizons work with disadvantaged communities in Central America. For more information, please e-mail info@horizons.ca

Cobourg ON – On October 17th, the United Nations Day for the Eradication of Poverty, students at two of Cobourg’s high schools will be showing their support for the Make Poverty History Campaign’s “Stand up, Speak Out to Make Poverty History” initiative, with the support of Horizons of Friendship.

Members of the St. Mary’s Secondary School’s social justice committee have planned several activities to run throughout the day. The morning will start with the poverty Pledge, during which time students will stand up and join millions of people around the world as they show their commitment to the Make Poverty History goals. This will be followed by several lunch hour activities, including smashing piñatas representing poverty and injustice, distributing information on poverty globally and here in Northumberland County, and unveiling a Make Poverty History banner.

Coinciding with the Stand Up, Speak Out initiative is the CDCI East’s launch of the photo exhibit “Giving Women Power over AIDS,” which shares the story of Ruth, a women in sub-Saharan Africa who is dying of AIDS, and her child, Martha, one of the 11 million children orphaned by AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. The exhibit will run from October 17-19th, and 22nd. This is a joint initiative with the Peterborough AIDS Regional Network.

The Make Poverty History campaign was launched worldwide in 2005. In Canada, the four main objectives of the campaign are: More and Better Aid; Make Trade Fair; Debt Cancellation and End Child Poverty in Canada.

Times and Locations:
St. Mary’s Secondary School, 11:10-11:50am and 12:25-1:05pm
Cobourg District Collegiate Institute East, 335 King Street E, 11am

This is an excellent opportunity to see student-driven initiatives in action.

For more information, please contact:
Michelle Switzer
Community Outreach Program Coordinator
Horizons of Friendship
905-372-5483 x.24
mswitzer@horizons.ca